Chapter 35 UNSETTLED TRUTHS
Clara's POV:
I still didn’t know if I should feel nervous, relieved, or confused after Professor Asher’s outburst.
I've always imagined him to be the controlled, distant type - cold sometimes, but never emotional.
He was never shaken. Never loud.
Yet yesterday, his voice cracked and his eyes shifted the moment he saw the blood on my toe.
I had never expected that.
And honestly, I didn’t know how to process it.
He actually looked rattled. Almost hurt. Like watching me slip flipped a switch in him.
And the anger wasn’t his regular classroom impatience.
This was deeper. Personal.
He’d looked weirdly… hurt when he brought up Jake, and that confused me the most.
How did he even know I went out with Jake? I told no one.
Yet he spoke like he’d seen everything—like he’d been tracking me.
Which made me wonder even more: how did he know I was still around the college premises?
And why was he even there that late?
Professor Asher never lingered without a cause.
So, what kept him there yesterday?
And why did his voice sound like that - tight, raw, almost desperate - when he asked if I ever thought about my safety?
I kept replaying it: how he lifted me without a second thought, how his brows pulled together when he saw the blood.
How he tried to soothe the sting, and how his expression dropped when he said he couldn’t trace my scent.
I still couldn’t figure him out.
Honestly.
But for the first time… it felt like yesterday mattered to both of us.
“Clara Bennett!”
I snapped out of my thoughts so fast my heart jumped.
Someone nudged my arm, and the guy beside me tipped his chin forward.
I looked up.
My gaze locked instantly with Miss Elsie Silvers.
My breath stalled.
When had she walked in?
I’d been too lost replaying yesterday, expecting Professor Asher to walk in like usual.
And that heavy knot in my stomach told me his absence wasn’t random… and probably connected to me.
“Miss Clara Bennett,” Elsie said again, her voice sharper, her gaze so cold it raised the hairs on my arms.
“I asked a question. Where is Jake Williams?”
I went rigid.
Her words slammed me back into last night with uncomfortable clarity.
The moment everything flipped.
The soft, steady Jake I knew gave way to someone else - someone whose anger surfaced the second I told him the truth.
I knew he wouldn’t take it lightly, but still… not like that.
Not enough to make me rethink the person I’d spent time with and trusted.
Not to the point where I stopped feeling safe.
The way he grabbed me - hard enough to leave a mark - was the final line.
That moment, that grip, that shift… told me everything.
I needed to leave.
That’s why I’d kneed him and bolted the moment I could.
Even so…
Even through the anger and fear…
A small, foolish part of me still hoped he’d be okay, that he’d calm down, that he’d accept it.
But—
If that were true…
Why wasn’t he in class today?
Colder this time, Elsie’s voice cut through.
“Miss Bennett, did you or did you not hear me? I asked where Jake Williams is.”
Her eyes didn’t blink.
They didn’t soften.
They didn’t move away from me for even a second.
And something about the way she looked at me - like she was studying me, like she already knew something, like she’d been waiting for this question - made my chest tighten.
Why did her expression feel like a warning?
Like she knew more than she ought to?
Her stare held me in place. I parted my lips, forcing my voice steady.
“I… I don’t know, ma’am.”
A quick, tight frown flickered across her face.
Snickers and whispers erupted around me.
Of course.
Most assumed Jake and I were dating.
Not knowing only drew more eyes, making me feel exposed and foolish.
Before the whispers grew louder—
“Silence. All of you.”
Elsie Silvers’ voice sliced through the room.
Sharp. Icy.
And the entire class snapped into complete quiet.
She didn’t even look at them.
She didn't glance up, eyes fixed on the attendance sheet, like she hadn’t just chilled everyone’s spine.
“That’s fine, Miss Bennett,” she said flatly, then went back to ticking names like nothing happened.
But my mind wouldn’t calm.
Why ask about Jake?
Of all people, of all days…
It wasn’t casual - it felt intentional.
Her pen tapped each name, and with every tick, my unease grew.
She finished and stepped up, stiff, hands clasped lightly.
“Listen carefully, everyone,” she began, voice clipped and controlled, the usual composed mask.
“Professor Asher is currently attending to urgent faculty matters.”
A lie.
I didn’t know how, but I felt it.
The words sounded too neat… too rehearsed.
“So, I’ll be handling the rest of today’s session.”
Her eyes swept briefly across the room.
Not lingering on anyone—
Except me.
Just for a second.
Barely noticeable.
But I felt it all the same.
She continued, “We’ll review the research framework you’re expected to apply in your individual assessments, and then we will conclude.”
She began writing on the board - clean bullet points, fast strokes.
—Defining thematic boundaries
—Analyzing character motivation
—Exploring internal conflict
—Maintaining ethical perspective in storytelling
Her voice echoed behind each point as she explained:
“Your analysis must show emotional depth without losing academic structure.”
“Every submission should reflect originality, clarity, and a well-developed thematic standpoint.”
“Your arguments should be personal, but grounded.”
Personal but grounded.
Those words made my heartbeat pick up.
Because I knew exactly where this was going.
She finally lowered the marker, turned back to us, and cleared her throat.
“And before we end—” she said, pausing long enough to pull everyone’s attention,
“I want to remind you all about the individual project Professor Asher assigned.”
My pulse stumbled.
Of course she would bring that up.
That project.
That theme.
“Your essays on forbidden love and moral restraints are due at the end of the month.”
“Make sure you approach the topic with maturity and academic honesty.”
Her gaze floated over the class—
And for the briefest second
It landed on me.
It was quick - barely half a heartbeat -
but I felt it like a spotlight burning through my skin.
Forbidden love.
Moral restraints.
My chest tightened painfully.
Because she didn’t know.
No one knew.
Not even Jake.
No one knew that the person who’d given that assignment—
The man whose voice echoed in my ears yesterday, raw and furious—
Was the same man whose hands had once held me in the dark…
Whose breath had grazed my skin…
Whose lips had—
Stop.
I forced the thoughts away as Miss Elsie shut the attendance book and snapped it closed.
“That will be all for today. You’re dismissed.”
Just like that, she turned toward the desk, her expression perfectly blank.
But I wasn’t fooled.
Something had shifted today.
And deep inside, I knew—
Jake’s absence,
Professor Asher’s outburst,
Miss Elsie’s stare—
None of it was a coincidence.
I stood up slowly as students began filing out of the class, their chatter fading into a soft hum. I just wanted to get out—get away from Elsie’s eyes, the weight of her questions, the sinking twist in my stomach.
But just as I stepped past the doorway—
“Miss Clara… a minute, please.”
I froze.
My heartbeat stuttered as I turned back, very slowly.
Miss Elsie stood near the desk; an eerie smile curved at her lips. The kind of smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
The kind that made the air feel colder than it should.
The room was empty now.
Completely empty.
Not a single voice in the hallway. Not even footsteps.
It was just the two of us.
I swallowed and walked toward her.
“Yes, ma’am?”
She didn’t answer immediately. She simply stared at me, a file in her hand, her expression unreadable.
Then:
“How’s your toe, Miss Bennett?”
I blinked.
Hard.
My toe?
My injured toe?
How does she know I hurt my toe?
Had Professor Asher told her?
But… Why would he?
He wasn’t the type to share personal details - especially not about me.
My eyes instinctively dropped.
The bandage was still on my toe.
It felt much better now, though the skin still throbbed faintly.
I forced a small smile. “It’s… better now, ma’am, Thanks.”
She nodded, slow and curt, still staring at my foot like it interested her far more than it should.
Something about the way she looked at it sent a cold prickle up my neck.
Miss Elsie had always been kind.
Polite.
Gentle even.
So why did standing alone with her feel… unsafe?
“Alright then, Miss Bennett,” she said with that same tight smile.
Then a slight frown tugged between her brows, as if something just clicked in her mind.
“You know, I’m a little surprised you don’t know where your boyfriend is.
“What’s his name again? … yes. Jake. Jake Williams.”
I squinted slightly at her, confusion mixing with disbelief.
Boyfriend? Why would she assume that?
A soft, awkward laugh escaped me.
“Umm… Miss Elsie, I genuinely appreciate your concern.
“But Jake and I aren’t in a relationship.”
Her smile dropped instantly.
And for a tiny, flickering second—
I wasn’t sure if I imagined it—
But her face twisted.
Something like irritation.
Or anger.
Sharp and quick, gone before I could fully process it.
Then the smile returned - this time softer, almost forced.
“Oh. My mistake.”
She gave a stiff, awkward laugh. “I had thought so.”
She turned to leave, heels clicking lightly across the floor—
But she stopped.
And turned back to me.
Her expression had changed completely.
Her smile was gone.
Her eyes were sharper now, colder, intent.
“If you don’t mind me asking, is there something going on between you and Professor Asher?”
My head snapped up.
The air left my lungs.
“W–what? No, ma’am. Not at all.”
She didn’t move.
She just stared.
Studying me.
“Because you both seemed quite close yesterday,” she said slowly, her tone dripping with something too smooth to be genuine.
“The way he cared for you… tell me, Miss Bennett, is he usually like this with his students?
“Or just you?”
I stiffened completely.
Her words felt like needles pressing under my skin.
The way she said just you made my pulse spike.
She had seen.
Everything.
Yesterday.
Every moment I had prayed no one noticed.
Images flashed through my mind—
Miss Elsie and Professor Asher kissing that day.
The way she held him.
The way he didn’t push her away.
A rush of panic surged through me.
What if they’re in a relationship?
What if she thinks—
No.
No, no, no.
I swallowed, finally finding my voice.
“No… not at all, ma’am. He just helped me out, that’s all.”
Her eyes narrowed.
I could tell she didn’t believe me.
Worse—
I could tell she wasn’t meant to believe me.
Because somewhere deep down… it wasn’t just helping and both she and I knew it.
What teacher reacts like that,
Panics like that,
Touches like that,
When a student gets hurt?
What teacher treats her injury himself.
With her leg on his thigh,
His hands trembling,
His voice cracking?
Miss Elsie looked away finally, but her expression didn’t soften.
“Alright then, Miss Bennett.”
“Just making sure you are not… oblivious… to the consequences of having an affair with your teacher.”
“Because you do not look like the kind of girl to cross such boundaries.”
“Do you?”
My heart slammed so hard against my ribs it hurt.
She smiled.
Softly.
Too softly.
“Have a nice day, Miss Bennett.”
She walked out, leaving the room colder than she found it.
I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath
Until the door clicked behind her
And I finally let it out in a shaky rush.